A Lawful Victory

A team of five incoming Ward Melville High School 10th-graders – Kian Abbott, Gabrielle Barry, Thomas DiPietro, Samuel Kim and Kevin Xu – took an up-close look at the justice system and captured top honors during a five-day EDNY Justice Institute program at the federal courthouse in Central Islip this summer.

During the program, the students learned about all aspects of law enforcement and legal advocacy by working with experienced lawyers and meeting with professionals such as U.S. Marshals and FBI investigators. The week ended in a challenging mock trial competition, during which teams were assigned to represent the defense or prosecution in two cases. The top two teams went on to compete head-to-head in the final round. Three Village’s team was awarded first place at the end of the championship round.

“This was a great experience and I learned a lot from my teammates,” said Thomas. “I really enjoyed competing in the mock trial and talking to the professionals in attendance. By learning more about the career and gaining this experience, I now know that I really want to be a lawyer in the future.”

More than 80 students representing 23 high schools on Long Island participated in the program, which was spearheaded by U.S. District Judge Joseph Bianco and sponsored by the Eastern District of New York, Touro College and the Federal Bar Association.